This invention relates to a disposable diaper and more particularly to such a diaper having a plurality of pleats formed by a backsheet thereof.
It is well known in the art of disposable diapers to make a backsheet thereof from an inner layer of plastic film and an outer layer of nonwoven fabric in order to improve a touch of the diaper. For example, Japanese Laid-Open Utility Model Application No. Hei 3-122824 discloses a disposable diaper comprising a backsheet consisting of an elastic outer layer of plastic film or rubber film and an elastic inner layer of non woven fabric intermittently joined to each other so that these layers may be in the form of a single member that is elastic for stretch and contraction.
However, the woven fabric, in the form of the elastic inner layer constituent of the known backsheet, may often lose the softness that is peculiar to nonwoven fabrics once it has been joined to the plastic film elastic outer layer that is another constituent of the backsheet. Consequently, the soft touch required for the diaper is apt to be deteriorated in comparison with the case in which the nonwoven fabric is used alone for the backsheet. Such known backsheet is disadvantageous also from an economical viewpoint, since the elastic nonwoven fabric and film are generally more expensive than those that are inelastic.